a blog by markus nolf

the giant austrian squirrel

tom and i had an hour to kill in the forest, and this was what came from it:

it all started with barbara’s answer to me asking what i should bring for an invitation to dinner: “bring half a potatoe and a squirrel!”

the transcript:
in the forest just north of our base camp , we start our expedition to find a rare species of rodent that has hardly ever been seen, and never before documented. i am talking, of course, about the giant austrian squirrel (sciurus austrogiganteus).
we soon find droppings of this mysterious animal, and even a little feeding area, so we must be on the right track.

(whispering) “a giant squirrel could hide anywhere in this vicinity. there! this is a somewhat ugly one here, but it’s nonetheless an incredible experience. note how it blends in with its environment – if you didn’t know it was there, you probably wouldn’t even notice it.
we need to take this chance and follow it, or we might not see another one for days, even weeks.”

it did escape the chase, but back at the feeding site, we managed to get another peek. as soon as it senses our presence, the giant austrian squirrel drops part of its coat as a distraction and leaves the spot.

it doesn’t take very long to regrow, and soon the squirrel will be perfectly camouflaged again.
we stay a little bit longer and watch it search for a new hiding place, and then it is time for us to leave.

“we’ve learned a lot about the giant austrian squirrel in this exciting expedition, and we hope to come back here someday in the future.”